The YOU Trust

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has changed to outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 95 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Staff in all roles were highly motivated and enabled to offer care and support that was genuinely compassionate and kind. They cared for people in a way that exceeded expectations. For example, a staff member set up a fundraising event to transform a garden at one house because people could not access it due to their mobility needs. The money raised was used to purchase ramps and install raised planters. We saw people using the garden. A person said, “It has made the world of difference. I can come out here with my friends, grow my own fruit and vegetables and enjoy being outside.”

There was a visible culture of kindness and respect across all staff in all roles, which was embedded into every interaction. People and their relatives told us staff were kind for example, a person said, “Staff are all very kind.” Relatives told us, “I can’t praise them enough” and “Overall care is excellent…brilliant staff, who are very compassionate.” We saw many examples that demonstrated staff were very kind and provided compassionate care. For example, we observed staff reassuring a person who was becoming distressed, the person was having difficulty expressing why they had become distressed. Staff reassured the person and explored different ways of enabling the person to communicate effectively without increasing the persons anxiety. The team established the person was worried a storm was coming and the staff altered their shift to remain with the person. The persons anxiety decreased.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

The service supported people to overcome barriers, Support went beyond meeting care needs, to supporting and empowering people to achieve what was important to them. Staff supported people to overcome barriers that prevented them participating in activities they enjoyed. For example, people wished to go swimming, but were unable to access the public swimming pool due to their sensory and mobility needs. Staff supported them to research suitable alternatives and found a local accessible pool. The staff contacted the pool and arranged private sessions. People now attended regularly; their confidence in the water had increased. This had improved their health and wellbeing.

The staff supported people and empowered them to have an improved quality of life and reduce social isolation. For example, a person had become institutionalised due to their previous life experiences, which was adversely affecting their daily living and quality of life. Once the provider started working with them, staff learnt the person had not been outside for several years. Staff supported them at their own pace, offering encouragement and reassurance. The person now regularly attended trips out to their local garden centre, cafés and pubs and had even enjoyed a boat trip and piloted the boat.

People are helped and supported to genuinely express their wishes and preferences. A person said, “Staff know me and what I like.” A professional told us, “The approach taken by staff is clearly person-centred. [people] are treated with dignity and respect, and their preferences are upheld in all aspects of their support. This is something that the case workers in my team witnessed during the Care Act Sec 9 reviews.”

The provider was exceptional at promoting people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

The service worked with people when they were developing personal relationships, they ensured the person developed the relationship at their own pace and worked with the person so they could remain safe.

The service supported people’s relationships with their family. For example, a person who had not had contact with a close relative for many years was able to reconnect. The initial reintroduction was very well planned and went well. Regular visits were arranged and their relationship grew stronger, even when visits were not possible due to the relative’s declining health, the person was supported to remain in contact and connect with other family members.

People’s independence had increased, for example a person was supported to drink from a standard cup rather than a beaker. This enabled them to have drinks whenever they wished. People who were never involved in preparing and cooking had developed their skills and had recently made home-made pizza, cakes and mushrooms on toast. Several people had improved their daily living skills to the extent of being able to move to more independent living which increased their independence.

Staff identified a group of people enjoyed spending time with each other and supported them to arrange days out. For example, they had arranged numerous day trips and short breaks during the summer. These included visits to theatres, theme parks, seaside resorts and country estates. A person said, “We are all fully involved, we choose where we want to go, when we want to go and who we go with, it is brilliant.” A professional told us, “They also actively support [people] to take part in meaningful activities and make effective use of local community services, enabling individuals to meet others and engage in shared activities.”

The provider was exceptional in how they listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

We saw examples of staff implementing creative methods to support people’s communication and enabled them to recognise their needs and wishes. For example, staff used touch to communicate with a person and then observed slight changes in the person’s facial expression to establish their needs and wishes. Staff used fragrances to communicate with a person, when completing tasks and activities. Staff were alert to people’s needs and took time to engage them in discussions about meeting these needs. This meant people were able to maintain positive relationships with staff, their friends and families.

Staff knew people very well and could anticipate people’s individual needs, we observed staff continuously genuinely engaging with people in a relaxed person first approach. Care was delivered proactively and enhanced people’s emotional wellbeing. A professional told us, “…. they respond promptly to issues and changes in circumstances, and they are strong advocates for the people they support, ensuring their needs are recognised and addressed”.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Good practice and positive outcomes were recognised, and staff spoke highly of each other and the provider. We saw that people’s experience of the service was enhanced by a culture that normalised good wellbeing through inclusivity, active listening and open conversations. This enabled staff to do their job well and to be well.

We received positive feedback from staff, where they shared examples that demonstrated the provider had supported them very well and celebrated success. Examples included, “I feel very valued and supported, my manager appreciates everything I do, I never dread coming into work” and “My managers have been the most supportive managers I have ever had the pleasure to work with.”

Staff were encouraged to progress their careers, some staff had completed formal qualification in health and social care. This provided staff the opportunity to move into management and training roles within the company.